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Boston hadn't been the same since Susannah passed. Daphne tried to keep the spirits up, tried to be there for the boys as best as she could but she would be lying if she said it didn't hurt. God, it hurt everyday but now they were away from home, she and Conrad were together at Brown, their dorms next to one another. They spent every day together.
She sat at the edge of his bed, eating pizza when he got the call. He got up to answer it, going out into the hallway, in some kind of heated argument. When he came back, he started packing his bags.
"Come on, we have to go." she didn't need an explanation as she shut the pizza box, tossing it at him. He catches it as they head to her dorm. "What's up? Where we going?" she grabbed a bag, filled it with clothes. "The beach house, pack bikinis." he tried to be funny but he couldn't hide his distaste for whatever happened on that call. Conrad was never good at hiding how he felt.
"Why now? We have a test in less than a week, we have to be here." although she had her questions and doubts, she still packed her bag, she still left with him. "My aunt wants to sell the beach house." he slams her door shut behind them, his rage spilling out of him. "Who the fuck does she think she is?" Conrad never knew his aunt, neither did Daphne but this was insane. Selling the beach house would be like selling their childhood, selling a small part of Susannah. She loved that house, the kids loved that house. It had grown to be an extension of them.
"Aunt Julia never liked my mom, this is so like her." they were in his car before she knew what was going on. "What are we gonna do?" Daphne wrapped her jacket around her body to keep warm, "Confront her, kill her if we have to." Daphne couldn't help but laugh.
"Is this a group thing or a me and you thing?" she turned on the heat as he started the car, it was getting dark outside, getting colder by the second. "We can handle this, me and you can handle this." Conrad's voice slowly turned into a whisper, like he didn't believe what he was saying but she did. "Maybe we should call my mom." the idea died in her mouth as she placed a hand over her heart, taking in a deep breath.
"She doesn't need that pressure right now and telling Laurel means involving Nat." Conrad shut his eyes for a moment and Daphne worried he would run them off the road. Daphne tried her best not to think too much about what was happening with her mother, just like it had done with Susannah, cancer had come back to haunt Natasha. They knew it was a possibility but so soon after Susannah's funeral felt like a cruel twist of fate.
"I'm gonna call her." Daphne took her phone from her pocket, "Don't tell her." she nodded at Conrad's words. When the phone started ringing, Daphne rested her hand over her heart again. Her heart hurt every second for the last few months, she had never felt so human, so vulnerable in her life.
"Oh my God, Daphne Young, is that you?" it was Malia. Daphne paused, cleared her throat.
"Hey Mal, it's me. Is mom around?" she heard a lot of moving around on the other end, "Look who's lucky enough to get a call all the way from Brown." she heard Mal tease before the phone was passed. "What did I do to deserve this honour?" Natasha tried her best to sound strong, Daphne could hear it in her voice. "Nothing, I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice. Conrad and I, uh, we miss you." she put the phone on speaker. "Aw, I miss you too. You know the break is close and you'll be home before you know it." Natasha's voice made Conrad ease up next to Daphne.
"Yeah and we're expecting a welcome home party." Conrad gripped the wheel tightly, Daphne stared at his knuckles, watched them turn pale in front of her eyes. "Anything for my babies but now I have to go, my show is coming on." Natasha sounded eager for whatever soap she started watching. "We just wanted to check it. Goodnight mum."
